The Path to Maturity
by virtual-typewriter
Summary: How would the story have changed if James wasn't the only Potter at Hogwarts? What if he had brought Jamie Potter along with him?
1. Author

**AN:** For those of you reading this story: I'm really glad that you like it :-)

Now… I haven't updated it in a while but that's because I was a bit unhappy with how I started this story. Therefore, I've restarted it. You can find it on my profile. It's called " **Growing Up Gracefully** " and I hope you'll continue to like it. Not a lot about the story has changed, it's mainly the P.O.V. The first three chapters are already up :-)


	2. Detentions, Prefects, and Slytherins

**AN: I have decided to do my own story about the Marauders and their years at Hogwarts. This story starts at the beginning of fifth year and you will soon notice a couple of changes to the story. The main character, Jamie, is not canon and in this story I explore the idea of how everything would have changed if she existed. I hope you enjoy the story :-)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

 **Chapter 1 – Detentions, Prefects, and Slytherin Snakes**

I had not planned on spending my first night back at Hogwarts in detention. Yet here I am, on my knees, scrubbing the floor of the prefect's bathroom. It is not even dirty, because it hasn't been used in two months. It is, after all, the first day of school. Are the teachers even allowed to give out detentions on the very first day back? Is there not some sort of law against it, something to do with student rights and whatnot?

The tiles are almost so clean that I can see my own reflection in them. They most certainly do not need anymore attention, whereas I… I'm most definitely missing out on a back-to-school party in the Gryffindor common room right now. I could be having _fun_. I'm already well on my way to forgetting what fun is supposed to feel like but certainly is doesn't feel like this.

"Jamie, catch!" I'm pulled out of my thoughts by a dirty rag flying across the room in direction of my face. Luckily, I've got pretty good reflexes, and I catch it before it smacks me in the face.

"Honestly?" I look up and send an angry glare in the direction of Sirius who is most certainly the one who threw it.

"You were looking melodramatic again."

"And so you decided to start throwing things at me? Honestly, you could have hurt me or something... You know what?" Inspiration suddenly strikes me right between cubicle four and five, "If you throw that bucket Remus is holding in my face I would have a legit reason for going to the Hospital Wing. There is no way, Madam Pomfrey would send me back here. Go on, hit me!" I sit up expectantly.

"Jams, he's not going to throw a bucket at your head."

I turn around and send a glare in my brother's direction, "Let him make his own decisions, James!"

"I'm not going to throw a bucket at your head," Sirius tells me, "If anyone deserves to get out of this detention, it is me, so you are welcome to throw it at _my_ head, if you want to, but I am most certainly not going to throw it at yours."

"That is so unfair, it was my idea!"

"Nobody is going to throw buckets at each other's heads, so you may as well stop arguing," Remus interferes, "If you concentrated on the work at hand, we would be able finish this much faster."

Remus Lupin… Always the voice of reason.

We are quiet for about ten seconds, before Sirius suggests, "How about I take the bucket to the head, and you help me to the Hospital Wing, Jamie? Then we'll both have an excuse to get out of here."

"Deal."

"It is after all the gentlemanly thing to do," Sirius says to no one in particular as I stand up to go get the bucket, "Can't just go around hitting Jamie Jam over the head."

"Sit down," Remus tells me sternly, "Nobody's going to hit anybody over the head with anything."

"You're such a kill-you," I mumble as I sit down, "And that is exactly why you were made a prefect."

"Well one of us had to become one," Remus protests, "There are no other boys in our year in Gryffindor except for the three of us," he points at himself, Sirius, and James.

Remus Lupin… Can't really argue with the guy. Because I have no answer I throw the dirty rag at him and says, "Since this is actually _your_ bathroom, the least you can do is concentrate on the work at hand." He rolls his eyes but doesn't answer. I'm almost positive I see a smile on his face as he turns away.

"What was so important anyway that you think you deserve to get out of this detention more than us?" James sticks his head out from under one of the sinks and looks at Sirius, "Wouldn't have anything to do with the blonde Ravenclaw who kept prancing past our compartment on the train, would it? What was her name again? Paige Alton?"

"The blonde one?" Remus has yet again abandoned his work… Lazy Lupin. To be fair though, he is the only one who has actually managed to do anything productive.

"Don't tell me you and Platinum-Paige have a thing," I stare incredulously at Sirius, "Since when?"

"Since it-has-yet-to-happen," he tells me, "I am in detention, remember?"

"Oh…" I send him a half-apologetic smile, but really, I'm not that sorry. To me, it doesn't seem as though he's missing out on much. Platinum-Paige has the IQ of a five-year-old and she is not _that_ attractive.

"Bet she won't be too happy with you tomorrow," James grins, and this time he is the one to be on the receiving end of Sirius' rag throwing.

"Caught it faster than you," I trill under my breath.

"Yeah, right. We both know I'm the better chaser of the two of us."

I stare incredulously at James. "In your dreams, perhaps."

"Guys," Remus interrupts us again, "It's bad enough that I am in detention on the first night back. Please don't subject me to your I'm-better-than-you-banter."

"Well I _am_ better."

"Jamie." I look at Remus but quickly lower my eyes when he gives me the I-am-not-amused glare.

We continue to clean the bathroom in silence. Usually, McGonagall's detentions aren't so bad. Normally, we just have to write a whole bunch of lines or make some extra transfiguration assignments. Today, though, she has decided that we need to be taught a lesson. So here I am, on my knees, scrubbing the prefects' toilets on the first night back. James theorised that she wants to give us a sufficient punishment from the start in the hopes that we will behave ourselves for the rest of the year. Personally, I think she means to rub it into our noses that we didn't become prefects. Well, except for Remus who, of course, actually became a prefect. Perhaps she wants to show him that he wouldn't have become a prefect if there had been other boys in Gryffindor. It doesn't really matter though. None of us ever wanted to become prefects. Prefect duties take up precious time that could be used to prank Slytherin Snakes instead.

The next time I look up is when Lily Evans barges into the bathroom. Honestly, this is our first night back. She has only been a prefect for three hours and already she has decided that ordinary bathrooms are beneath her. I never liked that girl.

When she notices us she stops and her mouth forms a little 'O'. Guess she didn't expect to see us here.

"What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like we're doing?" I look over at Sirius who roles his eyes at me. Remus on the other hand looks just the teeny tiniest bit ashamed and James is… well, he's being James. He ruffles his hair and I can just see the wheels in his head turning trying to come up with something intelligent to say. Unfortunately for him, his hair ruffling turns out to be in vain as Evans turns her eyes on me.

"Already in detention, Potter?"

"Trying to break a record," I smirk, "Ten minutes slower than last year, but I do think we deserve points for serving it on our very first night back. In fact, I think that is an accomplishment in itself. It'll sure be hard to beat next year."

"Perhaps you should try not to break it at all," Evans all but sneers and I can just see how she longs to give me another attention right here right now. But of course she doesn't. She is too well behaved.

"And Remus," Evans turns her attention to my infinitely redder-in-the-face mate, "I would expect better of you, now that you're a prefect. I had to show the first years to the tower all by myself."

"Oh no, oh Evans! How _did_ you find your way?" She turns her gaze back at me, and I must admit that that gaze of hers is pretty impressive. But I'm used to it, so it doesn't bother me. Instead I send her my most dazzling smile and wink at James who is glaring daggers at me behind her back. I know he has made his mind up to try and ask her out but surely, it can only be meant as a joke. Siblings do not start dating their sibling's nemeses. I most certainly would not start dating Snivellus Snape.

Evans is positively fuming by now but instead of riling her further I turn my attention back to the tiles.

"It wasn't our intention to get a detention," James tells Evans slowly, "It just sort of happened."

"Really?"

"Really," James replies but as I glance up at him and he glances at me at the same time, he instantly stars to snigger and thereby ruins his innocent expression.

"You are absolutely impossible!" Evans stamps her foot for a bit of emphasis, "How the two of you," she points at James and I, "Ever got into Hogwarts, I don't know. How you haven't become expelled will most certainly remain a mystery until the end of time."

I see Sirius grinning out of the corner of my eye.

"You, Black!" It seems Evans saw him too, "You are not an inch better, and every time I look at your sorry face I thank Merlin that you weren't also born a twin!" With those words she stomps out of the bathroom and leave us staring after the slamming door.

We look at each other for a moment before we all burst out laughing, even Remus who I know took her words a bit more to heart than the rest of us.

"Mate," Sirius splutters, "You may want to wait for a bit before you try your luck with her."

After she leaves I sit back on my heels and take a look around the bathroom.

"Don't you guys think it looks clean?"

"Yes," James sighs, "But it doesn't matter. If we leave before Minnie allows it she'll just give us another detention."

"But it's the first day of school," I whine and throw my remaining cleaning cloth at Remus' bucket, "It's not fair."

"Yeah, well, I think that Minnie thinks, it's fair." James smiles at me, but it doesn't make me any happier.

"Next year you can plan the back-to-school prank without me," I declare, "I won't miss another party."

"As if you'll be able to stay away," Sirius laughs, "You _love_ pranking the Slytherins."

"That's because they _deserve_ it," I tell him, "It serves them right. And after they've spent their holidays being pampered by their pompous parents their egos need to be taken down a few notches."

"Because you're not at all pampered," Sirius smirks at me.

As I no longer have any rags left to throw at him, I settle for my coldest glare. "I am not at all pampered."

"Of course not." Sirius winks at me, and I roll my eyes.

"If anyone is pampered," James says and looks in Sirius' direction, "It's you. Whenever you come to our house, it's like Jamie and I don't exist anymore."

"See, now you're exaggerating," Sirius says and puffs a strand of hair away from his eyes, "I don't believe it's possible to forget Jamie Jam. You, perhaps, but certainly not Jamie Jam."

I smile at Sirius as James mutters something incomprehensible under his breath and finishes of with, "Jerk."

Sirius is just about to retort when the door opens once again and professor McGonagall enters.

"Well, well…" she looks around the room before she fixes her gaze on us, "It looks decent so you are free to leave."

We scramble to our feet, as McGonagall continues, "I hope you have all learnt your lesson. I know better than to think I'll never see you in detention again but if you can stay out of detention for the rest of the week, I'll consider it a considerable improvement." After this little speech she vanishes the cleaning supplies before she gives us our wands back and leaves the bathroom.

"That could have been worse," Remus mumbles as we all quit the bathroom shortly thereafter, "She didn't raise her voice once."

"That's because she thought the prank was funny," Sirius says and throws his arms around Remus and myself, "When the Slytherin snakes all turned in to pink unicorns I'm almost positive I saw her snort."

"Minnie doesn't snort," I disagree.

"She most certainly does."

"I'm with Sirius," James declares, "She thought it was funny and that's why she didn't yell."

"Perhaps she was just too tired to yell," Remus suggests.

"I don't think Minnie gets tired," I say, "I have never seen her tired. She is like a… a…"

"Vampire," James supplies, "Are you seriously suggesting that Minnie's a vampire?"

"That is what I would like to know." At the words we all stop simultaneously and slowly turn around. Evan Rosier is standing right there, in the middle of the hallway, flanked on either side by Mulciber and Pettigrew. They must have been following us.

"What do you want?" Sirius already has his wand out of his ropes and is pointing it directly at the three Slytherins.

"Well…" Rosier looks lacily at around the hallway before he takes a little step closer, "At first I wanted to talk to you about the little stunt you pulled during dinner, but now I'm more interested in whether you really think McGonagall is a vampire." He says the last part directed at me.

"I would take a step back, if I were you." Surprisingly it's Remus who says this and I look at him out of the corner of my eye. He rarely meddles when it comes to these disputes between the snakes and us. Mostly it's James and Sirius who lead the way.

Rosier chuckles but takes a step back, "McGonagall a vampire? That is the stupidest thing I've heard in a long while." He turns around to face Mulciber before he continues, "This is the reason why the likes of her should not be allowed in here. Her unintelligence lowers the IQ of everyone – "

"I would shut up right now if I were you," James has taken three steps forward and is pointing his wand directly at Rosier's face. Sirius is right beside him and even Remus has his wand out now.

"Let's just go," I say, "They're not worth it."

As usual, the boys don't listen. Those guys… they're really sweet and they're my absolute best friends in the entire world but sometimes… sometimes I wish they would be a bit less protective of me. I know I'm the only girl in the group and everything, but I'm perfectly capable of defending myself.

"Guys," I say a little louder, "Come on, let's go. They're _not_ worth it."

The three of them slowly lower their wands and turn around. We start back to the Gryffindor common room and we're almost out of earshot when Pettigrew of all people mutters _that_ word. I catch on to James' arm just in time, but before I have time to say anything Sirius turns around, stalks right up to Pettigrew, and punch him square in the jaw.

"Don't believe I'll go as easy on you the next time," he growls and then he's back by our side.

We walk back to the common room in total silence. We can hear the party corridors away but none of us are really in a party mood any longer. Sirius clambers through the portrait hole first, followed by Remus. I'm just about to continue when James catches hold of my arm and pulls me back a few metres.

"Listen – " he begins, but I interrupt him.

"It's okay," I tell him, as I always do, "It doesn't matter. I don't care, you know I don't. There's no reason to become upset about it."

"All the same," James tells me, stubborn as always, "You're my sister."

"I know."

"And nothing will ever change that."

"I _know_ ," I send him the biggest smile I can muster before I continue, "Now, let's go party, shall we? I don't remember the last time I had a butter beer."

James looks me over for a long time, before he decides to let the subject drop, "I saw you drink a butter beer last night."

"It's funny, I don't remember that. Perhaps you need some new glasses."

"Whatever you say…"

I give him a light punch in the shoulder before I, too, enter the common room with James close behind me. The noise inside is deafening. I see Sirius in front of the fireplace chatting with some sixth year girls and Remus in the corner, having a talk with Evans, undoubtedly to explain to her that his behaviour tonight will not reflect on his prefect duties.

James yells something in my ear about drinks before he disappears in to the crowd and I'm left standing on my own next to the portrait hole.

The _word_ doesn't bother me. I've been called a mudblood before. It's the fact that every time someone calls me that it reminds me that I'm not really James' sister. That even though my name is Jamie Harriet Potter and my parents' names are Fleamont and Euphemia Potter I'm not really related to them.

I was adopted from a muggle orphanage when I was very young. I was just a baby but even then I displayed signs of magic. I was discovered by someone within the ministry and thereafter adopted by the Potters. They are my family. Jamie is the only name I've ever had and I share James' birthday since nobody knows when I was really born. Almost all my life, I've been James' twin. But there are people at this school who keep pestering us, calling me a mudblood because I was found at a muggle orphanage.

As I've told James countless of times, it doesn't matter. I _am_ his twin; I know that, even though we're not technically related. The problem is that he becomes so angry every time someone says otherwise. The Potters are full blood wizards and by calling me a muggle born they always insinuate that I'm not really part of the family.

"Here you go." I look up and accept the butter beer James is holding out to me.

I smile at him, take his hand and drag him out on the dance floor, "Let's dance," I say. It doesn't take long for Sirius and Remus to join us, and as I'm dancing with my friends I do my very best to forget everything those Slytherins said.


	3. Potters and Evans

**AN: Here's the second chapter. I hope you like it :-)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

 **Chapter 2 – Potters and Evans**

I didn't always hate Lily Evans. In the beginning we were just ordinary classmates, although I won't lie and say that we were friends. She didn't like my mischievous behaviour or my friends – certainly not my brother. I thought she was a bit boring and way too focused on school. But we had a silent agreement not to talk about any of that and we tolerated each other's presence. We talked pleasantly enough, and we even sat together in class a few times. We didn't start hating each other until the end of March, first year.

It was mine and James' birthday and since we are twins we always spent the entire day together. Sure, we spent all days together, but birthdays are special.

To surprise me, James had written to mum and asked her to make a batch of special birthday berry pies. James and I, we have a thing about pies, I don't know why, but we do. And therefore, for our birthdays, we never eat anything but pies. And we always start our birthdays by eating birthday berry pies in bed. It may sound a bit silly but that is one of our many twin-traditions.

Of course James wasn't allowed to enter the girls' dormitories so he had to be a bit inventive about how to surprise me. That year, he decided that the best way would be to steal one of the school's brooms and fly up to our dormitory window.

Unfortunately, Evans occupies the bed closest to the window and she woke up before anybody else when James so cleverly decided to throw it open without any regard to the noise he was making. Needless to say, Evans threw a fit. Her yelling woke us all up immediately. I tried to explain to her that no, James wasn't spying on us, that no, he did not intend to prank her by throwing the pies in her head while she was sleeping, and that no, this didn't have anything to do with her. But Evans, being Evans, thought it had everything to do with her. She grabbed the pies from him and threw them out the window. Afterwards she reported James to professor McGonagall, which resulted in him getting a detention that very same night, on his birthday!

It was after this incident that I stopped talking to her. Sure, it wasn't James' finest moment, but he was only trying to surprise me on our birthday. Evans simply proved to be too much of a stickler for the rules. James naturally forgave her, but I have despised her ever since, and she has despised me ever since. You see, that very night I got Sirius to help me prank Evans by covering her entire bed in berry marmalade. Sure, it only made her positive that I had been lying that morning about not wanting to prank her, but at that point I didn't really care anymore. She had ruined my birthday and when you're twelve years old that is a very big deal.

As I go down to breakfast the next morning I pointedly ignore Evans although she's glaring daggers at me. Why is she glaring daggers at me? Oh wait… It probably has something to do with all the house points we lost last night. We probably have a negative count and that means that all the points she's going to earn in classes today won't really help us.

As if there aren't more important things to worry about. Speaking of… I can see the bruise on Pettigrew's jaw all the way across the Great Hall, as I sit down to eat.

"Looks nasty, doesn't it?" Sirius asks as he pours me a glass of pumpkin juice.

"Yes," I answer, "But perhaps you should try to sound a bit less proud about it in public."

"Why? Everyone knows that those snakes only get what they deserve."

"All the same," Remus cuts in, "We don't exactly want anymore detentions, do we?"

"We know _you_ don't," Sirius slurps through his glass, "The rest of us don't care so much."

I snort and almost spit out my own pumpkin juice.

"Very funny."

"Sorry Remus," I add a bit sheepishly, "Really, I think it's sweet that you're trying to take your prefect duties seriously and I honestly believe that you'll make a fantastic prefect. You're really good with the whole responsibility thing. It's just… No matter how much you behave I bet you'll end up serving more detentions than you give out."

"Imagine that," James laughs, "You'll be serving detention together with the students you're punishing."

"It's not funny," Remus protests.

"I would like to disagree," Sirius smiles, "But don't worry. I'm sure they'll respect you all the same…"

At this we all burst out laughing again, except for Remus, of course. When I look up I'm met with the disapproving look of Evans. Now, she is glaring daggers at all of us from down the table. Sitting next to her are Mary MacDonald and Marlene McKinnon, my fellow Gryffindor classmates. MacDonald looks just about as disapproving as Evans whereas McKinnon merely looks a bit amused. I look away from them with a role of my eyes.

"McKinnon's trying to win you over again," I tell Sirius.

"I know."

I know that he knows, I'm simply trying to knock some sense into the guy. "It's not nice of you to keep toying with her."

"I'm not toying with her."

"Yes. You are. You keep dating her and then not-dating her, and then you date her again. It's not nice of you."

"She doesn't exactly complain, does she? Besides, last time we were together, she was the one who ended things."

Yeah, I wonder why… "I'm sure she's not as fine as she looks."

"Please," Sirius scoffs, "When she's not with me, she's with that Hufflepuff – what's-his-name? – Darell Brown."

"Right," I nod but I'm not entirely convinced.

"Besides," Sirius says a bit later, "I'm not sure I'll date her again."

"Oh?"

"I don't think I want to date anyone right now."

"Who are you, and what have you done with Sirius Black?" James looks up from _The Daily Prophet_. Remus, and myself I'm sure, are sporting similar looks of surprise.

"I mean it," Sirius replies, "All girls are just so needy and they take up all your time. Just last night I had a fight with that Alton-girl. I hadn't even kissed her yet and there she is, complaining about me being late. She wouldn't even listen to me when I told her that I was in detention!"

"All girls are needy?" I repeat slowly and just a teeny tiny bit offended.

"Not you, silly," Sirius replies.

"I should hope not."

"A bit needy," James coughs from behind his newspaper. I kick him in the shin but instead of apologising he merely sticks his tongue out at me.

"Rude."

"James, Jamie, honestly?"

"Sorry, Remus."

"Sorry, Remus."

After this we stay silent and eat our breakfast. I look across the room and see Pettigrew still rubbing his jaw. I should have expected it… Too much of a coward to go visit Madam Pomfrey, can't even come up with a proper excuse.

We don't say anything at all until professor McGonagall comes over with our new time schedules.

"Let's see… Mr Lupin, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, correct?" Remus nods and accepts his time schedule.

"Mr Black…" McGonagall sorts through some of her papers, "Ancient Runes and Muggle Studies. Same as Mr and Ms Potter." They all accept their schedules without a word.

"I don't believe I'll have to remind you that this is a very important year," McGonagall looks at us through narrowed eyes, "How well you do in your O.W.L.s will determine which N.E.W.T classes you will be allowed to take. I expect you to take your studies seriously."

"Don't worry," Sirius tells her solemnly, "I'm always Sirius."

McGonagall merely rolls her eyes before she continues on down the table.

"Still her favourite student," Sirius smirks behind her back.

"Right," I scoff, "She simply _adores_ you."

Meanwhile James is frowning as his time schedule, "Have you seen this?"

"What?" I look down at my own and almost immediately let out a sigh, "They've given us potions with the snakes again?"

"I'll bet 5 galleons it's because of Evans and Snivellus," Sirius replies, "Slughorn just wouldn't get through the week if his two pets didn't have the chance to brew potions together."

James' mood visibly darkens, "I still don't understand what she sees in the git. He's nothing short of revolting."

"Yeah, well, they're both the same amounts of annoying."

"Jamie, don't say that."

I look up at my brother and try to read his expression. This cannot seriously hurt him. It's prissy Evans we're talking about, for crying out loud! He cannot possibly be serious about liking her. He wouldn't do that to me. I would _never_ date one of the people he dislikes. This… This is like me declaring that I want to go out with Peter Pettigrew. Besides, Evans doesn't deserve him. She is absolutely awful to him, yelling at him all the time, calling him names, ratting him out to the teachers.

Instead of answering him, I turn to Remus. Remus is a sensible guy, he'll understand me. But Remus is ignoring my gaze by staring intently at his piece of toast.

Lastly I turn to Sirius who's already looking at me. But he doesn't say anything either.

I cannot believe this. Is something going on that they're not telling me about? James is not serious about liking her, is he? It's always been a joke: 'ask Evans out to annoy her, because she's annoying', that's what he said to me. That's what he has always said to me, and I've never doubted him, because siblings don't lie to each other. _Twins_ don't lie to each other, and _we_ most certainly do not.

Without saying anything I grab my book bag and rise from my seat.

"Where are you going?" James is on his feet almost instantaneously.

"Class," I tell him, before I stalk off.

"I'm coming with you." He grabs his book bag and follows me from the other side of the table. I walk faster to try and throw him off but unfortunately he's taller than me and outrunning him is not particularly easy. We reach the end of the Gryffindor table at the same time.

"Jams, what's wrong, have I said something?" He grabs hold of my arm, but I shrug him off.

"Nothing's the matter."

"Don't lie to me." He actually sounds a bit annoyed with me. That's funny, now he's concerned _and_ annoyed.

I wait until we're out in the Front Hall before I turn on him, "If you like Evans why don't you just come out and tell me? Instead of talking about it behind my back?"

"I don't like Evans," James protests, but he doesn't sound particularly convincing.

"When did you start liking her?"

James looks as though he's about to change the subject so I repeat his words from two seconds ago: "Don't lie to me."

James looks at me for a long time before he huffs and replies, "I don't know."

"You _don't_ know? But you _do_ like her?"

"I guess I've always sort of liked her," James tells me, "In the beginning I just didn't know it but… She fascinates me."

"I can't believe this." I start walking again but James is right behind me.

"I know you don't like her," he says to me, "But perhaps… If you got to know her."

"I already know her," I protest, "I've shared a dorm with her for the past four years. Remember, I didn't start _dis_ liking her until that incident in first year. I dislike her because she deserves to be disliked. I'm not as unreasonable as you seem to think I am."

"Jamie, stop it," At this point James is practically pleading with me, "I don't think you're being unreasonable. And if you really don't want me to date her then I won't."

At this point we both stop. I'm not even sure where we are anymore. We've gone up several staircases and are now standing in a deserted hallway by the looks of it. I don't even remember which subject we have first. James is looking at me and he just looks so… sad.

I sigh once before I turn from him to look out the window, "I'm not going to stop you from dating her," I say at last, "What sort of a sister would do that? If you tried to stop _me_ from dating anyone I'm pretty sure I'd blow a gasket." Normally James would laugh at this, but right now he doesn't.

"Look," I turn to face him again, "If you really think that she's so special I'll choose to see the best in her for your sake. She must obviously be worth it. But if you start dating – and that is a big 'if' because I know she hates your guts – then I'll use my sister privileges and ask you to reconsider, if I think she's not the right girl for you. But I would never demand of you to dump her, not for my sake."

James smiles at this and gives my shoulder a little nudge, "That's what sibling privileges are for. But just for the record: if I did start to date someone – and I mean anyone at all – and you really didn't like her after you'd gotten to know her then I wouldn't continue to date her."

"You're just saying that to please me."

"I mean it," James looks me intently in the eyes, "I'd rather remain a bachelor till the end of my days than lose my sister because of some dumb girl."

Now it's my turn to smile. It is absolutely impossible to stay mad at him for any considerable amount of time. He always knows just what to say to make one feel better. Fortunately for me, I know he means every word.

"There you are!" We turn around simultaneously and spot Sirius at the end of the corridor, closely followed by Remus.

"We're late for class," Remus explains apologetically, "And we have transfiguration first up."

I look at James and give him a quick smile before I grab his arm and drag him over to our fellow Marauders.

When we finally enter the classroom we're ten minutes late and McGonagall sure isn't very pleased with us. We end up getting another detention and we lose even more points from Gryffindor.

I end up at the desk behind Evans with Remus beside me. I can practically hear her angry thoughts but I don't say anything, not even to Remus. If James really likes her, then I will try to be nice for his sake.


	4. AN

**AN:** For those of you reading this story: I'm really glad that you like it :-)

Now… I haven't updated it in a while but that's because I was a bit unhappy with how I started this story. Therefore, I've restarted it. You can find it on my profile. It's called " **Growing Up Gracefully** " and I hope you'll continue to like it. Not a lot about the story has changed, it's mainly the P.O.V. The first three chapters are already up :-)


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